Sources Sought for Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) Balloon Initial Pilot Flight Training
Closed Pre-Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- 6973GH-26-LTA
- Agency
-
Franchise Acquisition Servies
Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 611512 Flight Training
- PSC
- U009 Education/Training- General
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Federal Aviation Administration's Franchise Acquisition Services is conducting a market survey to identify sources capable of providing commercial off-the-shelf lighter-than-air balloon initial pilot flight training for FAA Flight Standards Operations Inspectors and Aircraft Certification Service pilots. Interested vendors must submit a capability statement identifying their training types, past performance, SAM UEI number, years in business, geographic service area, and their approach to accomplishing the work in accordance with the attached Performance Work Statement. The training must comply with 14 CFR Part 141 approved training courses and enable participants to pass pilot flight reviews and achieve commercial pilot standards in hot air balloons. The FAA has not yet determined the nature of the competition, evaluation criteria, or final procurement method, as this market survey is for informational purposes only and is not a formal request for proposals. The response deadline is February 19, 2026, and all questions must be submitted via email to the contract specialist; phone calls are not accepted.
This pre-solicitation notice includes no small business set-aside designation and does not identify any incumbent contractors or specific award values. The applicable NAICS code is 611512 (Flight Training) with a size standard of $34 million. Under the Performance Work Statement requirements, the contractor must provide ground school and flight training with a maximum of four hours of flight instruction per day or eight hours of ground school per day, ensure all aircraft are airworthy and FAA-certificated with backup balloons available, furnish all necessary materials and facilities meeting specified standards, and arrange for qualified FAA inspectors to administer practical tests. The contractor is responsible for all costs including aircraft, fuel, landing fees, storage, and maintenance, and must issue Certificates of Training upon completion while maintaining command of aircraft at all times. The FAA will assign specific student quotas and may authorize supplementary training hours on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Contracting Officer.
Notice text
MARKET SURVEY CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR LIGHTER-THAN-AIR (LTA) BALLOON INITIAL PILOT FLIGHT TRAINING
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. ALL QUESTIONS MUST BE EMAILED TO THE CONTRACT SPECIALIST CONTACT INFORMATION BELOW.
This market survey is issued to identify sources that may provide commercial off the shelf (COTS)Lighter-Than-Air Balloon Initial Flight Training for Flight Standards Operations Inspectors employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in accordance with the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS).
The purpose of this survey is to solicit statements of interest and capabilities from all businesses that are interested in and capable of providing the trainingin accordance with the attached Performance Work Statement.
In order to make the determination, the FAA requires the following from interested vendors in accordance with the attached Performance Work Statement:
1. Capability Statement – This document should identify:
- Type of training provided by your firm for each aircraft
- Type of training provided by previous contracts (provide detailed information and past performance)
- SAM UEI number
- Number of years in business
2. Geographic area where training will be provided.
3. Expected approach – Respondents must provide their strategy for accomplishing this work.
The principle North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this effort is 611512 Flight Training, with a size standard of $34 million.
The responses to this market survey will be used for informational purposes only. This is not a Screening Information Request or Request for Proposals of any kind nor is the FAA seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred in preparing the response to the market survey. Therefore, any cost associated with the market survey submission is solely at the interested vendor’s expense.
At this time the nature of the competition has not been determined. The FAA may decide to do a full and open competition or set aside all or part of the procurement for small businesses or eligible socially and economically disadvantaged business that are certified by the SBA for participation in the SBA’s 8(a) Program.
The purpose of this market survey is to solicit statement of interest and capabilities for small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, 8(a) certified firms, and all other business types and sized, capable of providing specified Course Instruction.
This market survey is also being conducted in order to obtain the information necessary to determine whether adequate competition exists to set-aside the competition among small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses or 8(a) certified firms.
If applicable, interested firms which are SBA 8(a) certified are required to submit a copy of the SBA 8(a) certification letter.
All responses to this market survey must be received by 5:00 p.m. CT, February 19, 2026. All submittals should be submitted by email to Federal Aviation Administration Shelley.A.Howard@faa.gov
NOTE: This original announcement was posted on BETA.SAM.gov. If you are viewing this from another source, the information may not contain all pertinent information. You may visit the FAA's website as shown above.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| FY26 Balloon PWS.pdf |
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